Odd numbers handled gracefully
If your list has an odd count, one entry becomes a 'group of three' rather than being left out. The tool flags this clearly so you can re-roll if needed.
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Random pair generator
Need to pair people up for an exercise, a doubles match, or a 1v1 tournament? Paste your list, click once.
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When to use this
Use it for language-class partner work, mentor/mentee matching at a meet-up, doubles draws, secret santa, code-pairing, dance class partners, or 1v1 ladder seeding.
Step by step
- 1
Paste names
One per line.
- 2
Generate pairs
Already preset to 'pairs' on this page.
- 3
Copy or download
Send the list to your group via chat or print it.
Privacy for sensitive pairings
Mentor pairings and HR matchings are sensitive. Because everything happens in your browser, the names never leave your device. There is no server log, no analytics on your input data.
What 'fair' actually means here
When we say a split is fair we mean two specific things. First, team sizes differ by at most one — never by two — regardless of how the headcount divides. Second, in skill-balanced mode the total rating per team stays within roughly one rating point of the average. Those are mathematical guarantees of the algorithm, not marketing language. If you want to verify, generate the same input twice with different seeds: the per-team totals will land in the same narrow band each time. Pure-random mode trades that balance for surprise — useful when the ratings are noisy or the activity is recreational. Read the full algorithm description on the methodology page if you want the snake-draft maths.
Practical tips before you paste
Three small habits make the output noticeably better. (1) Strip leading numbers and bullets from your list — paste plain names, one per line, so the parser doesn't treat '1. Alex' as a name. (2) If you have ratings, append them after the name with a space, e.g. 'Alex 4'. The generator accepts integers and decimals from 1 to 10. (3) Decide up-front whether absentees should be excluded or kept as ghosts. Excluding gives tighter teams; keeping them lets you swap names back in later without regenerating. The 'Copy as text' button preserves your line order so you can edit and re-paste.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I avoid the same pair twice?
Run the tool again — Fisher-Yates makes a same-pair repeat extremely unlikely with more than 6 people.
Is this good for secret santa?
It is great for the random matching part, but it cannot guarantee no one draws themselves. Re-roll if so.
Is anything sent to your servers?
No. The team generator runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. The names you paste are kept in component memory only and are never transmitted, logged, or persisted unless you explicitly export them. Closing the tab clears the data. See the privacy and methodology pages for the technical detail.
Can I lock specific people onto the same team?
Yes. After generating, click any name to swap it with another, or use drag and drop in the team panel. For one-off groupings (siblings, carpool partners) this is the fastest path. For repeated locks across many regenerations, give the locked group a shared rating that's slightly above average and use balanced mode — they'll cluster together most of the time.
Why do I sometimes get the same split twice?
On very small inputs (under ~10 names) there are only a handful of mathematically distinct splits, so repeats are inevitable. The shuffle is cryptographically random — it's just that the space of valid outputs is small. Either add more names or accept the duplicate; either is fine.
Keep exploring
Related tools & guides
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OpenSecret santa pair generator
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OpenDoubles tournament bracket
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Ready to run your event?
Free forever for basic use. No signup required. The free version really does do the job.
Want prettier prints? See the optional template pack